The doctor,
who had served in the Peninsula, having observed that Ferdinand the
Seventh was not quite so bad as had been represented, the Lion
vociferated that he was ten times worse, and that he hoped to see
him and the Duke of Wellington hanged together. The doctor, who,
being a Welshman, was somewhat of a warm temper, growing rather
red, said that at any rate he had been informed that Ferdinand the
Seventh knew sometimes how to behave himself like a gentleman--this
brought on a long dispute, which terminated rather abruptly. The
Lion having observed that the doctor must not talk about Spanish
matters with one who had visited every part of Spain, the doctor
bowed, and said he was right, for that he believed no people in
general possessed such accurate information about countries as
those who had travelled them as bagmen. On the Lion asking the
doctor what he meant, the Welshman, whose under jaw began to move
violently, replied, that he meant what he said. Here the matter
ended, for the Lion, turning from him, looked at the writer. The
writer, imagining that his own conversation hitherto had been too
trivial and common-place for the Lion to consider worth his while
to take much notice of it, determined to assume a little higher
ground, and after repeating a few verses of the Koran, and gabbling
a little Arabic, asked the Lion what he considered to be the
difference between the Hegira and the Christian era, adding, that
he thought the general computation was in error by about one year;
and being a particularly modest person, chiefly, he believes, owing
to his having been at school in Ireland, absolutely blushed at
finding that the Lion returned not a word in answer.
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